Rillito Race Track Historic District (Boundary Increase) · Photo: Eric McCarthy from Tucson, AZ · CC BY-SA 2.0FEMA puts Kearny’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 69% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kearny gets a C for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%), then wildfire (28%). Flood insurance has paid 2 claims here since 1978.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What stands out about Kearny’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Kearny faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Wildfire
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Kearny’s grade
River and rain flooding is 69% of the building damage FEMA expects in Kearny, and Kearny’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 28%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
C higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns (21,298).
All of Kearny’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $722K a year in losses across Kearny: $625K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Kearny flood? Rarely: 2 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Kearny, from FEMA’s records: 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Kearny isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Pinal County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Kearny
Disasters that paid out in Kearny itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Kearny), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2006Severe Storms and Flooding$70K to the Town of Kearny for repairs
Pinal County has had 10 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 10 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pinal County, 2002–2025.
Old photos of Kearny after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Kearny archive →Get ready for what Kearny faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Kearny
Is Kearny at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Kearny has higher expected damage per building than 69% of U.S. towns: C for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (69%) and wildfire (28%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Kearny flood?
Flood insurance has paid 2 claims in Kearny since 1978, $33K in all, or 2.2 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 60% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
Is Kearny in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Pinal County, 21% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.5% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Kearny?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Kearny’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Kearny?
By FEMA money that reached Kearny, Severe Storms and Flooding (2006): $70K to the Town of Kearny for repairs.
Is Kearny at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (69%), and Kearny’s rate for it is higher than 70% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Kearny.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Kearny’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.